[Cant Touch This]

I agree with Spazzrico. (And that's a sentence I've never typed before in my life.)

I still find myself idolizing professional athletes, and with the exception of the Jamie Moyers of the world, I'm older than all of them. Sometimes I have to remind myself that Scott Rolen is younger than I am.

But that doesn't stop me from playing. Not only is it fun and recreational, but as you age, your body will depend more and more on exercise to maintain your metabolic rate. Fitness centers are zoos and running trails get boring after awhile, so playing pickup basketball, tennis, and running in local 5K races are great ways to stay active.

Plus, you can still find very competitive sports well into your 30s and 40s, and beyond. I played in a rec hardball league in Ann Arbor when I first moved to Michigan in 2002, and then again in Vegas when I lived there in '05-'06. That desert league was crazy competitive. In fact, in June or July of '05 I actually played against a lefty pitcher named Vic Darensbourg. After the game, our team's manager informed me that Vic used to pitch in the majors but hadn't been picked up by anyone in 2005.

Then, later that summer, he landed with Detroit and made about 20 appearances with the Tigers the rest of the season. So here I was, 34 at the time and out of organized baseball for about 15 years, batting (left handed) against a left-handed major league pitcher.

Vic only pitched a few innings against us and shut us down. However, I take great pride in the fact that I reached out and blooped a low and outside curve ball over the shortstop's head on a 1-2 pitch for a single. (with a wooden bat, mind you.) It was my only plate appearance against him so my lifetime average against Major League pitching is 1.000.

So yes, go find a rec league. You never know who you may face.